DOD Acquisition Chief Approves F-35 Full Rate Production

William LaPlante, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, has approved the Milestone C/Full Rate Production for the F-35 Lightning II following a series of tests.

LaPlante, a 2024 Wash100 awardee and a past Potomac Officers Club speaker, issued the approval after the F-35 completed its combined initial operational test and evaluation, live fire test and evaluation, system development and demonstration and other test and evaluation milestones. According to LaPlante, the approval proves that the F-35 is stable, agile and compliant with statutory and regulatory requirements.

The milestone positions the F-35 program to produce and deliver jets to the U.S. military and its international allies, the Department of Defense said.

A year before the MSC/FRP agreement signing, F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin finalized a $30 billion deal with the F-35 Joint Program Office to deliver nearly 400 of the jets to the U.S. military and Foreign Military Sales partners. Under the contract, Lockheed will provide 145 Lot 15 jets and 127 Lot 16 aircraft. The contract also has an option allowing the company to distribute up to 126 Lot 17 F-35s.